{guest blogger :: Josiah’s Nest}

Moriah Sunde is the writer behind Josiah’s Nest, a blog that recently starting documenting it’s newest addition: little newborn Josiah.

Moriah and her family live in the greater Minneapolis area. You can follow her on Twitter here.

I was already 30 weeks pregnant when I got the idea to start an Etsy shop and a blog. My original hope was to eventually have my own successful handmade online business. It would have been a lot easier if I had the idea before I became pregnant.

I had a full-time position as a nanny, which ended at 37 weeks of my pregnancy. After that it was a waiting game, so I finally had time to begin selling my necklaces online. It was so much fun diving into the unknown and learning about the Etsy and blogging communities. I was learning so much as a first-time shop owner and designer, and was enjoying getting to know so many wonderful people through the experience.

However, the baby did eventually come, and the Etsy shop went on the backburner for a while. Which is fine. I had a baby! The most amazing and important day of my life happened, and nothing else mattered. Josiah became the center of my universe, and all of my attention and physical and emotional energy was to be used to take care of him.

As I’ve continued to focus on caring for Josiah, I have strived to become the woman I know God wants me to be: a loving, caring, supportive, and strong wife and mother. These past 2 and a half months have been unbelievable. If you follow my blog, you know what I mean.

However, when God gives you desires, you need to follow through and make them become reality. I had a desire to have children, so we had Josiah. I also had a desire to use my creative talents and start making a living off of it, so I started my Etsy shop. Both things are pretty huge adventures, but by following my duty and desire as a Proverbs 31 wife and mother, this is what I lean on every day for encouragement (and you should, too!):

These verses inspire me every time I read them. I am reminded of the call that God has for my life: to be the best wife and mother I can be and to use my talents and creative abilities to bless God and my family everyday.

I just need to learn how to balance it better.

I am nowhere near an expert at balancing my family life and growing my business. I’ve only been doing this for 3 months. However, I am slowly beginning to learn what I need to do in order to sustain our happy family, and continue to learn and grow my hopefully successful online business.

I’m guessing that I’m not alone in this struggle. For those of you who are in my shoes, or plan to be someday, read my advice below. I’ve created a list of important details that need to be adhered to in order to successfully balance family and business.

These are things that I am not perfect at by any means, but I continue to work on them in order to better balance my roles as a mother and a business owner:

– Make goals and lists for the day. This is not only for your business, but also for your relationship with your baby. I will usually plan on making a couple necklaces while the baby is napping, and will try to avoid checking my e-mail until the baby is already in bed for the night (or at 5:30 a.m. before he gets up for the day).

– Create a morning routine to help the day run more consistently. Keep to your schedule in order to get things done more smoothly. I will usually try to get up before the baby, and will kick things off by starting up the coffee, making a bottle, checking on laundry, and somehow fitting in a couple e-mails here and there. Sometimes if the baby sleeps longer than expected, I am even able to write up a quick blog post. Sometimes.

– Get enough rest overnight to get you through the day. I am so blessed to have a husband that helps take care of our baby just as much as I do. I make sure to get to bed before 11 p.m. every night, and Joseph will hang out with the baby until he falls asleep. Joseph will sometimes stay up until 2 a.m. with the baby and will let me sleep through it. He values my health and makes sure I am able to be rested up enough for the next day.

– Do not let the business consume your life. Make a time to end work for the day and stick to it. Set times during the day where there is absolutely NO computer and NO work allowed. Your husband and children come first.

– Maintain a positive relationship and partnership with your spouse. If you are caught between running a shop and caring for your baby, be sure that you don’t forget your spouse in the process! Take clear and intentional steps to show him that you value him above all else. Always strive to go over the top in letting him know that despite all the busyness, you are still his number-one supporter.